Latin American Studies Seminar - Politics/Culture During the Brazilian Military Dictatorship

This seminar focuses on the political, social, economic, and cultural changes that took place in Brazil during the civilian-military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964-85. Using primary and secondary sources, as well as films and documentaries, we will examine why and how the generals took power, the role the U.S. government played before and after the coup d'etat in Brazilian affairs, the multiple political and cultural forms of opposition that emerged to challenge authoritarian rule, the process that led to democratization, and Brazil's new role as a global player and an economic powerhouse.

Sample reading list:Skidmore, Thomas E,
The Politics of Military Rule in Brazil, 1964-85McCann, Bryan,
The Throes of Democracy: Brazil since 1989Penna, Lina Sattamini,
A Mother's Cry: A Memoir of Politics, Prison, and TortureDunn, Christopher,
Brutality Garden: Tropicália and the Emergence of a BraziliaEleven academic articles,
Twenty-two primary documents,
See instructor for complete list

Reading/Writing assignments:
Students will read approximately 150 pages per week, write brief entries in a web-based diary about a Brazilian character created for the class, and turn in short reflections on 10 films and documentaries seen outside of the classroom. Students will also write a 20 to 25 page research paper that relies on primary and secondary sources or an alternative project in media, film, drama, etc., with a written component that is also partially based on primary and secondary sources.

Prerequisites and Restrictions:
This course is open to undergraduate students and graduate students who fulfill one of the following requirements: (a) the student has intermediate knowledge of Portuguese; (b) the student has taken at least one previous course in modern Latin American history or a class related to Brazil; (c) the student has spent time in Brazil; (d) the student is convincingly motivated to learn about recent Brazilian history.

Other information:
James N. Green is Professor of Brazilian History at Brown University and the author of Beyond Carnival: Male Homosexuality in Twentieth-Century Brazil (Chicago, 1999) and We Cannot Remain Silent: Opposition to the Brazilian Military Dictatorship in the United States (Duke, 2010), among other books. He is currently working on a book about Herbert Daniel, a former Brazilian guerrilla leader and AIDS activist.